We have a young fellow who has been working for Graniel's doing security while our house was under construction. He will continue to work for Graniel's during the day but wants to so evening security and some yard work in his spare time. We have a small bodega where he can sleep. Any suggestions on how much to pay him would be appreciated. Thanks

That's a tuff one.
It's going to be hard to keep track of his actual hours. Security workers get pretty much minimum wage. Is he living full time in the bodega or just staying in it while on your property?

He'll sleep there and do some gardening on the weekend. He will have another job during the day. He's been on site all year so we have learned that he is a dependable guy. We do have a neighbour that will be keeping an eye on things but basically Jose will be there from dusk to dawn and weekends. What is minimum wage anyway??.. and thanks for the help...KB

Minimum wages an hour are:
BZ$ 1.75 for domestic work,
BZ$ 2.00 for labour and
BZS 2.25 for hotel sector.

Perhaps tourists and others reading this board can have a better appreciation of the cost of living for the local residents after seeing these figures. Even if you consider these figures are on the low side.....in reality they may be able to do a little better.....a salary of $10 or $15 US dollars a day doesn't go very far in a place like AC where things are really expensive.

Excellent point Tincup. I hope that the average tourist can appreciate this information. I hope they realize that they need to tip well and with the understanding that the money that they leave in Belize helps raise the standard of living for folks that have treated us like kings and queens while we were there. Nowhere I have ever traveled have I met friendlier people than right here in AC and they share their little town with each and everyone of us so we can bring back memories of an island paradise. They deserve to be paid well for the services they render and sometimes the pay they recieve is more their tips than the hourly wage. From divers, to wait staff, to children selling their wares on the beach, they are all apart of our memories and they all deserve to be compensated for what will last us a lifetime. They have made our lives richer make sure you make theirs a little richer before you leave.

Tincup-do you still need a caretaker?

Caretaker is in place. Going down for a quick trip to get him situated and start the building process for my vacation home. I'll be there 1/28 to 2/1.